Cremant, Lark, Crush, Matt's....

[LindaSEANYC]

Relatives were visting for 4 days so we did Green Leaf, Tamarind Tree and Salumi for lunch and then Cremant, Crush, Lark and Matt's for dinner. We were happy everywhere except for some minor dissapointments. My foodie relatives felt that Crush was worth the hype and I personally fell in love with Lark.

[oggi]

I'm going to be visiting Seattle most likely next week - and both Lark and Cremant look incredibly inviting; I'm unfortunately probably only going to have time for one of them during my visit, but I was curious if you had any sort of opinions, comments, in detail.

The both look comfortable; they both seem rustic; definitely the type of atmosphere's I'm interested in.

Any comments on the service? Any special menu items that really stood out?

Etc. etc.

[LindaSEANYC]

I PM'd you. Cremant has the bone marrow the NYTimes raved about and they were good. It was more of a couples restaurant than Lark and some of the dishes had too much cheese like the leeks. Lark was fun because there were so many dishes to chose from and it was a relaxed yet hip atmosphere. The chiken liver parfait with brandied rainier cherries was so yummy!

[Ling]

I've heard from numerous people that the portions of food at Cremant are huge, and very rich and heavy. Whether this is positive or negative to you depends on your appetite/preference. However, both restaurants you're considering are supposed to be good, but if you're into heartier, rustic fare, I would suggest Cremant.

[LindyChef]

I can't comment about Cremant since I haven't eaten there, but I spent some time in as a stage at Lark. The general palate of the restaurant is oriented towards each of the seasons, so right now you can expect bright, vibrant flavors with little in the way of cream or heavyness to mask them.

Lark does small plates, which makes it great because you can choose from a whole bunch of things to eat ... if you go, definitely get the cheese plate (awesome selections) with the crackers. There's a great sense of adventure dining there ... plus, from a line cook's point of view, I have the utmost respect for Chef Sundstrom and the way he runs his kitchen. Not only does he expo, but the expo station actually is a station that takes care of any of the raw fish preparations along with many of the desserts. To see a chef actually work on the line while running a restaurant is something that makes me smile. (Oh, and they do an awesome Manhattan).

Check out their website (www.larkseattle.com) ... new menu items get rotated in/out on Wednesdays and it's always kept up to date.

[skyflyer3]

I've been to both Cremant and Lark recently, and I'd have to agree with Ling that the trend at Cremant was heartier, rich food. It was really my fault - we had french onion soup, steak frites, chicken liver parfait, creme brulee and chocolate mousse, and felt like I was exuding fat at the end of the meal. The portions were huge - for me, at least. Now, it was all good, but at once - not to be done again!

At Lark, though, I had a meal where we had roasted duck, foie gras, pork rillettes, the cheese sampler, and those full-fat Pommes de Robuchon, and I didn't feel nearly as fattened as my meal at Cremant. Everything seemed to be more balanced. Love, love love Lark, and plan on returning there many times.

[tsquare]

Not only does he expo, but the expo station actually is a station that takes care of any of the raw fish preparations along with many of the desserts. 

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Can you explain this one "expo" - I know it isn't that he has an exposition kitchen - unless you sit at the tiny bar.

And welcome to the site. Lucky you - glad you had a good experience at Lark!

[thelastsupper]

Expo is short for expediting tickets or reading off orders as they come in; coordinating simultaneous platings of dishes from different stations, making sure they get out in a timely fashion and often finishing the plates (wiping the rims, garnishing, etc.)

[tsquare]

Expo is short for expediting tickets or reading off orders as they come in; coordinating simultaneous platings of dishes from different stations, making sure they get out in a timely fashion and often finishing the plates (wiping the rims, garnishing, etc.)

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Oh thanks - I know about expediting and have watched John do that! Somehow I missed the term.

Edited September 4, 2006 by tsquare (log)

[Ye-Ye Girl]

I enjoyed all the food I tried at both Lark and Cremant, but had a less-than-stellar service experience at Cremant. I'd definitely go back to Lark; haven't decided if I'll go back to Cremant yet.

[geoff]

If you do visit Cremant, demand a table in the front of the house. The rear environs, where we sat, was like dining in a bomb shelter. Walls of concrete, tiny windows eight feet up.